2017 Junior Eurovision Review – Portugal

Portugal don’t have a long history at Junior Eurovision, and what history they do have is from years long gone. Inspired by their Eurovision win in 2017, the nation decided to return to the pocket sized contest for the first time since 2007. This year it’s up to Mariana Venâncio to sing the song Youtuber, which was pre-selected for the contest. The selection process featured five talented Portuguese performers who all performed the song Youtuber, and after a close voting process which led to a tie, it was the public who ultimately decided who would be going to Tbilisi, and that was Mariana.

This is an interesting entry put forward by Portugal. It feels like quite a generic and basic song when you take all the vocals away from it, and when you take the music away, the melody itself is nothing to boast about. However somehow as a package it seems to work, at least work well enough that the chorus gets stuck in your head. I think this song could have done with a revamp since the national selection to give it a bit more depth, but with a fun staging, this song may really come alive on the Junior Eurovision stage.

I think Portugal picked well with Mariana, as she comes across as a natural performer without being too over the top. She definitely has the cute factor, and she also has the voice to match. This song doesn’t have the big notes of Russia or Belarus, but her voice especially during the verses and pre-choruses shows off a bit of a Portuguese flair which I really enjoy.

The general consensus on this song is pretty mixed. There are those convinced it’s bound to end in last place, while others are more hopeful of a decent finish in the results table. Many are also saying that it’s their guilty pleasure of the 2017 Junior Eurovision season, and that’s where I’ve landed. It’s definitely not a musical masterpiece, and after the win with Salvador Sobral at Eurovision, we perhaps could have expected a song with a bit more depth, but what we do have here is a completely inoffensive song that quite frankly I enjoy listening to. Do I think it will win? Absolutely not, but I also hope that this doesn’t finish in the bottom spot.